Applicator for powdered medicaments



Feb. 11, 1936. H. H. MARSHALL, JR 2,930,176

APPLICATOR FOR POWDERED MEDICAMENTS Filed June 25, 1934 Patented Feb. 11, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPLICATOR FOR POWDERED MEDICAM'ENTS Application June 23, 1934, Serial No. 732,068

2 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in cigarettes and particularly to the tip of the cigarette or the end which is placed between the lips.

The object of my invention is to produce a medicated tip for cigarettes, to introduce into the mouth, in many very small doses throughout the day, certain medicines such as the Pituito-thyro hormone, to reduce the weight of the person 10 smoking this cigarette; or other medicated tip coatings containing insoluble powders for other purposes such as to cure colds, headaches and aid in digestion of foods.

This invention pertains particularly to the coating of cigarette tips with the Pituito-thyro hormone, an insoluble powder obtained from the pituitary and thyroid glands of sheep. This powder will not dissolve in water although it becomes slightly sticky when damp. There is, in fact, no

20 known solvent for this powder which does not destroy its medicinal properties.

To apply this powder to the tip or end of the cigarette, the powder is moistened with distilled water and applied directly to the tip of the cig- 5 arette with a brush, or by rolling the tip or end of the wrapper against the drum of a coating machine. The water then evaporates and the powder adheres to the tip of the cigarette.

The moisture of the lips is sufilcient to cause 30 small amounts of the powder to pull away from the tip of the cigarette applicator on each involuntary application of its tip to the lips of the smoker. When the lips are moistened, in turn, by the tongue, the powder is brought into the mouth 35 in many small doses or amounts at frequent intervals througout the day. This construction of applicator has been found to be far more effective for the administering of extremely small amounts of certain medicaments in powdered form to the hu- 40 man system than other types heretofore proposed, due to its combination and arrangement of parts and to the fact that its repeated use at frequent intervals throughout the day is instinctively involuntary.

45 Another method of applying this powder is to prepare a roll of tipping material with a coating of this powder .as described. This material would then be used in the cigarette machine.

For other powders which will not adhere to the tipping material by this process, an insoluble but slightly tacky tipping material can be pre- 5 pared which will hold the desired light film of powder.

With some other medicinal powders it might be desirable to add a water soluble gum to act as a binder to hold the powder on a non-tacky tipping surface. An improvement is effected in a soluble tip of this character since the presence of an insoluble substance breaks the surface tension of the gum and prevents the lips of the smoker from sticking to the tip.

I am, of course, aware that prior to this invention, the Commissioner of Patents granted to me a Patent No. 1,507,925 in which I claimed The combination with a cigarette of customary manufacture, of a soluble coating for the tip thereo In this invention I do not therefore claim such a combination broadly.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, A is the coated tip of the applicator in the form of a cigarette.

What is claimed is:

1. An applicator for administering in extremely small doses a water insoluble powdered medicine which has adhesive characteristics when moistened, comprising a cigarette of customary manufacture having a layer of said powdered medicine adhered to the tip thereof, and the powdered medicine being susceptible of becoming tacky and adhering to the lips of a smoker during the normal use of said cigarette.

2. Means for administering extremely small doses of a powdered medicine on repeated applications of said means, comprising an applicator in the form of a cigarette and a coating of powdered medicine lightly adhered to the exterior surface adjacent one end thereof, said powdered medicine being sufiiciently deliquescent to adhere in small doses to the lips of a user on each application of said applicator.

HENRY HALL MARSHALL, JR. 

